Entering final day of 2020 NFL Draft, will Chiefs bolster depth at cornerback?
The Chiefs addressed specific needs in the first two days of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Linebacker? Check. Versatile offensive lineman? Check. Running back? Check.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the first round, Willie Gay Jr. in the second round and Lucas Niang in the third certainly comprise a quality group. But a hole remains at cornerback, and it wouldn’t surprise here if the Chiefs address that with one of their final two picks of the draft.
General manager Brett Veach, who previously complimented the depth of this year’s cornerback class, has options.
“We’ll be looking at corner and we’ll be looking obviously at some D-linemen,” Veach said late Friday night. “And you can never have enough offensive linemen.”
On paper, the Chiefs appear set at cornerback with Charvarius Ward, Bashaud Breeland, Rashad Fenton, Antonio Hamilton and Alex Brown projecting as their top five. Chris Lammons, who spent time on the Chiefs’ practice squad in 2019, rounds out the current group.
But Breeland and Hamilton are on one-year deals for the 2020 regular season, while Ward is scheduled to become a restricted free agent in 2021. So bolstering the depth of the cornerback corps makes sense.
While the Chiefs missed out Friday night on the likes of Utah’s Jaylon Johnson and LSU’s Kristian Fulton, some quality cornerbacks remain on the board. The current pool includes Virginia’s Bryce Hall, Louisiana Tech’s Amik Robertson, UCLA’s Darnay Holmes, Oklahoma State’s A.J. Green and Notre Dame’s Troy Pride Jr., among others.
The depth of the cornerback class has Veach feeling confident the Chiefs could land one if the position group is on the radar. And there’s always the free-agency route, either undrafted college players or a veteran still on the market, for the Chiefs to consider.
“There are many ways to attack this thing,” Veach said. “There’s also the free-agency period. We’ve had success with guys like Rashad Fenton, and then we made the trade for Charvarius Ward, who was an undrafted free agent.
“So, there’s talent out there and you just have to keep your eyes open and you have to have a great personnel staff, which I have.”
DID YOU KNOW
Willie Gay Jr., who was selected Friday night in the second round (63rd overall), becomes the seventh player out of Mississippi State to be drafted by the Chiefs. He is the first since the Chiefs selected defensive tackle Chris Jones in the second round (37th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.
The other Mississippi State players to be drafted by the Chiefs are linebacker Greg Favors (4th round, 120th overall) in 1998, linebacker Aaron Pearson (11th round, 285th overall) in 1986, safety Gerald Jackson (10th round, 260th overall) in 1979, halfback Bill Moore (7th round, AFL Redshirt Draft) in 1965 and halfback Lee Welch (19th round, 147th overall) in the 1962 AFL Draft.
DID YOU KNOW, TAKE II
The Chiefs used a third-round pick (96th overall) on TCU’s Lucas Niang, who can play tackle and guard.
The last time Kansas City used the third round to grab an offensive lineman was in 2012, when they picked Donald Stephenson with the 74th overall selection.
DAY 2 QUOTABLES
• “Put on the Tommy Bahama and let’s go, Vahe, doggone it, you’ll just feel a little bit better.” — Chiefs coach Andy Reid to KC Star columnist Vahe Gregorian
• “Willie was one of the top guys on the board, period.” — Veach on Gay
CHIEFS’ DRAFT PICKS
Round 1, 32nd overall: RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Round 2, 63rd overall: LB Willie Gay Jr., Mississippi State
Round 3, 96th overall: OL Lucas Niang, TCU
Round 4, 138th overall: Today (Saturday)
Round 5, 177th overall: Today (Saturday)
This story was originally published April 25, 2020 at 9:18 AM.
